Donation of Equipment for Seniors?

by Mary
(Pipersville PA)

My father-in-law just passed away. He lived with us for two and a half years. We were fortunate to have home care for the elderly aides coming in to our home three times a day, taking caring of his hygiene needs, making his breakfast.

We are now left with adult absorbent briefs (approx 40). The box was opened and the adult briefs were made ready for my father-in-law's use. We also have supplies that are used for wound care and have never been opened. We have baby wipes and small water paper cups.

Do you know if anyone can use these items? They were removed from boxes but are still sealed.

Thanks, Mary

REPLY from Caring-for-Aging-Parents.com:
It is very generous of you to think of where you could donate these supplies. I, for one, hate to see anything go to waste, especially these kind of expensive supplies.

You could try a few options:

1. Low income nursing homes might accept these items (though they also may not due to policies around infection control). Try giving them a call and see if they might be able to use the supplies.
   
2. Check with the company that provided the assistance for your father-in-law and see if there are any other clients that might benefit from donation of this equipment. Or whether they can simply take back some of the unopened supplies.
   
3. You could try putting up a posting on a free give-away website.
   
4. Are there any non-profit organizations that provide medical care to homeless people in your area? They might appreciate some of these supplies.
   
5. The baby wipes and small water paper cups may find a good home with a local child development center or a non-profit organization that provides programming to children.

Medical equipment is a tough one. I know in our public programs, they don’t take back any of this equipment if it has already been opened due to policy for infection control. The nursing staff are very particular about the wound care products and have to follow certain procedures around this as well.

It sounds as though you have a good experience caring for your father-in-law in your own home. It certainly helps to have assistance coming into the home to provide some relief for families.

Thank you for thinking of re-using these supplies. Every bit counts when it comes to recycling, even when it is recycling products used while caring for your elderly parents.

Thank you,
Tennille